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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wake — a trail
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com